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There is growing evidence that marine microorganisms may influence cloud cover over the ocean through their impact on sea spray and trace gas emissions, further forming cloud droplets or ice crystals. However, evidence of a robust causal relationship based on observations is still pending. In this study, we use 4 years of multi‐instrument satellite data to segregate low‐level clouds into ice‐containing and liquid‐water clouds to obtain clear relationships between cloud types and ocean biological tracers, especially with nanophytoplankton cell abundances. Results suggest that microorganisms may be involved in compensating effects on cloud properties, increasing the frequency of occurrence of warm‐liquid clouds, and decreasing the occurrence of ice‐containing clouds in most regions during springtime. The relationships observed in most regions do not apply to the South Pacific Ocean in the 40°S–50°S latitude band. These results shed light on overlooked potential compensating effects of ocean microorganisms on cloud cover. Plain Language Summary: Climate is governed by interactions between the ocean and the atmosphere. While physical interactions such as exchanges of heat and water vapor are fairly well understood, the role of biology, that is, the living marine microorganisms, on atmospheric processes, is a lot more complex. For instance, marine microorganisms may influence the number and the chemical composition of sea sprays and also emit trace gasses that will form tiny particles. Sea sprays and newly formed particles can then serve as nuclei on which cloud droplets or ice crystals form, therefore influencing cloud properties and climate. These chains of processes are theoretical, and there are few clear linkages between ocean biology and cloud properties derived from observational data. This study uses new satellite retrievals to establish relationships between cloud phase occurrence (ice, warm‐liquid, mixed‐phase or supercooled‐liquid clouds) and the biological activity of the ocean in different regions of the southern ocean. For a given month, locations of higher abundance of phytoplankton corresponds to a higher warm‐liquid cloud cover but lower ice cloud cover. These results suggest compensating effects of marine microorganisms on cloud lifetime via their potential to impact the formation of particles able to become water droplets or ice crystals. Key Points: Nanophytoplankton biomass shows more relations to cloud occurrences than Chlorophyll‐a or Particulate Organic Carbon concentrationsHigher nanophytoplankon abundance is positively linked to warm‐liquid cloud frequency of occurrence in spring in most regions of 40°S–60°SHigher nanophytoplankton abundance is linked to a decrease in the ice‐containing cloud frequency of occurrence in most regions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports on the origin of ice crystal complexity and its influence on the angular light scattering properties of cirrus clouds. Cloud simulation experiments were conducted at the AIDA (Aerosol Interactions and Dynamics in the Atmosphere) cloud chamber of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). A new experimental procedure was applied to grow and sublimate ice particles at defined super- and subsaturated ice conditions and for temperatures in the -40 to -60 °C range. The experiments were performed for ice clouds generated via homogeneous and heterogeneous initial nucleation. Ice crystal complexity was deduced from measurements of spatially resolved single particle light scattering patterns by the latest version of the Small Ice Detector (SID-3). It was found that a high ice crystal complexity is dominating the microphysics of the simulated clouds and the degree of this complexity is dependent on the available water vapour during the crystal growth. Indications were found that the crystal complexity is influenced by unfrozen H2SO4=H2O residuals in the case of homogeneous initial ice nucleation. Angular light scattering functions of the simulated ice clouds were measured by the two currently available airborne polar nephelometers; the Polar Nephelometer (PN) probe of LaMP and the Particle Habit Imaging and Polar Scattering (PHIPS-HALO) probe of KIT. The measured scattering functions are featureless and flat in the side- and backward scattering directions resulting in low asymmetry parame20 ters g around 0.78. It was found that these functions have a rather low sensitivity to the crystal complexity for ice clouds that were grown under typical atmospheric conditions. These results have implications for the microphysical properties of cirrus clouds and for the radiative transfer through these clouds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Arctic region is known to be very sensitive to climate change. Clouds and in particular mixed phase clouds (MPC) remain one of the greatest sources of uncertainties in the modeling of the Arctic response to climate change due to an inaccurate representation of their variability and their quantification. In this study, we present a characterization of the vertical, spatial and seasonal variability of Arctic clouds and MPC over the whole Arctic region based on satellite active remote sensing observations. MPC properties in the region of Svalbard archipelago (78° N, 15°E) are also investigated. The occurrence frequency of clouds and MPC are determined from CALIPSO/CLOUDSAT measurements processed with the DARDAR retrieval algorithm which allows for a reliable cloud thermodynamic phase classification (warm liquid, supercooled liquid, ice, mixing of ice and supercooled liquid). Significant differences are observed between MPC variability over the whole Arctic region and over the Svalbard region. Results show that MPC are ubiquitous all along the year, with a minimum occurrence of 30% in winter and 50 % during the rest of the year, in average over the whole Arctic. Over the Svalbard region, MPC occurrence is more constant with time with larger values (55%) compared to the average observed in the Arctic. MPC are especially located at low altitudes, below 3000 m, where their frequency of occurrence reaches 90 %, in particular during winter, spring and autumn. Moreover, results highlight that MPC statistically prevail over sea. The temporal and spatial distribution of MPC over the Svalbard region seems to be linked to the contribution of moister air and warmer water from the North Atlantic Ocean which contribute to the initiation of the liquid water phase. Over the whole Arctic, and particularly in western regions, the increase of MPC occurrence from spring to autumn could be connected to the sea ice melting. During this period, the open water transports a part of the warm water from the Svalbard region to the rest of the Arctic region. This facilitates the vertical transfer of moisture and thus the persistence of the liquid phase. A particular attention is also paid on the measurements uncertainties and how they could affect our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the CIRCLE-2 experiment carried out over Western Europe in May 2007, combined in situ and remote sensing observations allowed to describe microphysical and optical properties near-top of an overshooting convective cloud (11 080 m/-58 °C). The airborne measurements were performed with the DLR Falcon aircraft specially equipped with a unique set of instruments for the extensive in situ cloud measurements of microphysical and optical properties (Polar Nephelometer, FSSP-300, Cloud Particle Imager and PMS 2D-C) and nadir looking remote sensing observations (DLRWALES Lidar). Quasi-simultaneous space observations from MSG/SEVIRI, CALIPSO/CALIOP-WFC-IIR and CloudSat/CPR combined with airborne RASTA radar reflectivity from the French Falcon aircraft flying above the DLR Falcon depict very well convective cells which overshoot by up to 600m the tropopause level. Unusual high values of the concentration of small ice particles, extinction, ice water content (up to 70 cm-3, 30 km-1 and 0.5 gm-3, respectively) are experienced. This very dense cloud causes a strong attenuation of the WALES and CALIOP lidar returns. The mean effective diameter is of 43 µm and the maximum particle size is about 300 µm. The SEVIRI retrieved parameters confirm the occurrence of small ice crystals at the top of the convective cell. Smooth and featureless phase functions with asymmetry factors of 0.776 indicate fairly uniform optical properties. Due to small ice crystals the power-law relationship between ice water content (IWC) and radar reflectivity appears to be very different from those usually found in cirrus and anvil clouds. For a given equivalent reflectivity factor, IWCs are significantly larger for the overshooting cell than for the cirrus. Assuming the same prevalent microphysical properties over the depth of the overshooting cell, RASTA reflectivity profiles scaled into ice water content show that retrieved IWC up to 1 gm-3 may be observed near the cloud top. Extrapolating the relationship for stronger convective clouds with similar ice particles, IWC up to 5 gm-3 could be experienced with reflectivity factors no larger than about 20 dBZ. This means that for similar situations, indication of rather weak radar echo does not necessarily warn the occurrence of high ice water content carried by small ice crystals. All along the cloud penetration the shape of the ice crystals is dominated by chain-like aggregates of frozen droplets. Our results confirm previous observations that the chains of ice crystals are found in a continental deep convective systems which are known generally to generate intense electric fields causing efficient ice particle aggregation processes. Vigorous updrafts could lift supercooled droplets which are frozen extremely rapidly by homogeneous nucleation near the -37 °C level, producing therefore high concentrations of very small ice particles at upper altitudes. They are sufficient to deplete the water vapour and suppress further nucleation as confirmed by humidity measurements. These observations address scientific issues related to the microphysical properties and structure of deep convective clouds and confirm that particles smaller than 50 µm may control the radiative properties in convective-related clouds. These unusual observations may also provide some possible insights regarding engineering issues related to the failure of jet engines commonly used on commercial aircraft during flights through areas of high ice water content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A probabilistic model of the ice shattering effects on in-cloud measurements performed with instruments designed with inlets, which have the circular cross-section, is presented. Applications are made for the Polar Nephelometer and PMS FSSP instruments. The model provides rough estimates of the effects on microphysical measurements and assigns the key parameters that govern the efficiency of ice shattering. It is shown that experimental data are less affected by the shattering for clouds that have a lower proportion of large particles. The effects on derived integral microphysical parameters are shown to be very sensitive to the effective diameter of the ice fragments. The smaller the fragments from a given cloud particle are, the higher their effects are. Errors on Polar Nephelometer measurements were evaluated. It is shown that the ice particle shattering leads to the overestimation of the extinction coefficient. For example, for a given distribution with the effective diameter of 68 μm and with fragment effective diameters of 10 μm the extinction is overestimated by 25%. With larger particles having an effective diameter of 89 μm, the error increases up to 37%. As for the FSSP-300 instrument, under the same conditions the extinction coefficient is overrated by 17% and the number particle concentration is overestimated by 30%. The discussion of the results points out the main hypothesis which may seriously limit the reliability of the modelling results. Nevertheless, the magnitudes of the errors on extinction and particle concentration are of the same orders of those reported in the literature from experimental assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Arctic Study of Tropospheric Aerosol, Clouds and Radiation (ASTAR), which was conducted in Svalbard in March and April 2007, tropospheric Arctic clouds were observed with two ground-based backscatter lidar systems (micro pulse lidar and Raman lidar) and with an airborne elastic lidar. In the time period of the ASTAR 2007 campaign, an increase in low-level cloud cover (cloud tops below 2.5 km) from 51% to 65% was observed above Ny-Ålesund. Four different case studies of lidar cloud observations are analyzed: With the ground-based Raman lidar, a layer of spherical particles was observed at an altitude of 2 km after the dissolution of a cloud. The layer probably consisted of small hydrated aerosol (radius of 280 nm) with a high number concentration (around 300 cm-3) at low temperatures (-30 °C). Observations of a boundary layer mixedphase cloud by airborne lidar and concurrent airborne in situ and spectral solar radiation sensors revealed the localized process of total glaciation at the boundary of different air masses. In the free troposphere, a cloud composed of various ice layers with very different optical properties was detected by the Raman lidar, suggesting large differences of ice crystal size, shape and habit. Further, a mixed-phase double layer cloud was observed by airborne lidar in the free troposphere. Local orography influenced the evolution of this cloud. The four case studies revealed relations of cloud properties and specific atmospheric conditions, which we plan to use as the base for numerical simulations of these clouds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Arctic Study of Tropospheric Aerosol, Clouds and Radiation (ASTAR) campaign, which was conducted in March and April 2007, an optically thin ice cloud was observed at around 3 km altitude south of Svalbard. The microphysical and radiative properties of this particular subvisible midlevel cloud were investigated with complementary remote sensing and in-situ instruments. Collocated airborne lidar remotesensing and spectral solar radiation measurements were performed at a flight altitude of 2300m below the cloud base. Under almost stationary atmospheric conditions, the same subvisible midlevel cloud was probed with various in-situ sensors roughly 30 min later. From individual ice crystal samples detected with the Cloud Particle Imager and the ensemble of particles measured with the Polar Nephelometer, we retrieved the single-scattering albedo, the scattering phase function as well as the volume extinction coefficient and the effective diameter of the crystal population. Furthermore, a lidar ratio of 21 (±6) sr was deduced by two independent methods. These parameters in conjunction with the cloud optical thickness obtained from the lidar measurements were used to compute spectral and broadband radiances and irradiances with a radiative transfer code. The simulated results agreed with the observed spectral downwelling radiance within the range given by the measurement uncertainty. Furthermore, the broadband radiative simulations estimated a net (solar plus thermal infrared) radiative forcing of the subvisible midlevel ice cloud of -0.4 W m-2 (-3.2 W m-2 in the solar and +2.8 W m-2 in the thermal infrared wavelength range). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two airborne field campaigns focusing on observations of Arctic mixed-phase clouds and boundary layer processes and their role with respect to Arctic amplification have been carried out in spring 2019 and late summer 2020 over the Fram Strait northwest of Svalbard. The latter campaign was closely connected to the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) expedition. Comprehensive datasets of the cloudy Arctic atmosphere have been collected by operating remote sensing instruments, in-situ probes, instruments for the measurement of turbulent fluxes of energy and momentum, and dropsondes on board the AWI research aircraft Polar 5. In total, 24 flights with 111 flight hours have been performed over open ocean, the marginal sea ice zone, and sea ice. The datasets follow documented methods and quality assurance and are suited for studies on Arctic mixed-phase clouds and their transformation processes, for studies with a focus on Arctic boundary layer processes, and for satellite validation applications. All datasets are freely available via the world data center PANGAEA., (© 2022. The Author(s).)